FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wash. — A 41-year-old man from Burien is being charged with second-degree assault and hate crimes following a disturbance on an Amtrak train February 16, according to probable cause documents from the Franklin County Court. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office sent deputies to the Sagemoor Road and Highway 395 intersection after the Amtrak stopped nearby, reporting a drunk man was on board threatening passengers with a knife.
Deputies asked the train passengers and crew about the incident, according to court documents. The conductor told FCSO what an employee had told him, that a white man in overalls and a cowboy hat was using racial slurs toward Black passengers while holding a knife. They then spoke with one of the victims in the next train car, who informed deputies that the suspect, later identified as 41-year-old Wesley Young, was downstairs in the back bathroom.
FCSO deputies confirmed the suspect was in that bathroom, but he refused to open the door. He reportedly held onto the latch, in order to prevent the door from being unlocked and opened from the outside.
The victim told law enforcement he was going to buy snacks when he saw Young in the hallway. Young was near the stairs, so the victim told him he wanted to go downstairs. According to the probable cause, the victim couldn’t entirely hear Young’s response, but did hear a racial slur. Young then reportedly pulled out a knife and asked if they had a problem.
The victim said he didn’t want any problems as one of his friends stepped between the two. He reportedly told deputies that seeing the knife made his hair stick up. The victim, a Black man, was with two of his friends, both white men. Reports from the friends state a confrontation followed, with the group about two feet from Young, who held out his knife and what is believed to be pepper spray. He acted “aggressive” and “threatening” while targeting racial slurs toward the Black man, according to the probable cause documents.
The men tried to deescalate the situation, finding a way to get down the stairs. Once downstairs, Young reportedly apologized for his behavior while still wielding the knife. The men reported the confrontation to Amtrak staff after returning from the drink car.
“It should be noted that the hallways and stairways on this train are very close quarters which would limit the ability to escape an attack,” said the probable cause document.
While deputies received statements from the three men, other law enforcement officers were trying to get into the bathroom where Young was located. Court documents say he yelled continuously at officers while inside, using racial slurs and explicit exclamations. As time went on, he got more agitated, even hitting the door. Young was barricaded until SWAT arrived, prompting him to open the door. He was then arrested “without incident.”
Young was then searched by officers, who found pepper spray matching the friends’ story in his pocket. A knife was found in the bathroom, which was identified as the knife from the attack. Based on the statements and events from the response, probable cause was requested and approved for second-degree assault and hate crime charges.
